It Moves Fast

After my morning workout, I usually head to Starbucks for an iced coffee (aka my "reward" for a good sweat session). I'm always a little discouraged when I first see the size of the line (I counted 16 people in front of me this morning!), but I know it moves fast! The Starbucks employees are super efficient and get us in and out in no time! I tried to get a shot of this morning's line-- the cash register is on the left side of the photo and the line wraps around the front of the store. People love their Starbucks!


From start to finish, I waited about 10 minutes for my iced coffee with soy milk. Not a bad wait time considering the length of the line!


Breakfast

So, one packet of instant oatmeal doesn't fill me up, but 2 packets is usually too much. At the grocery store this weekend, I came across Nature's Path Instant Hot Oatmeal, which may have solved my problem. A typical package of instant oatmeal is 40 g, but the Nature's Path is 50 g (210 calories, 4g fat, 4g fiber), which might be just enough to satisfy, but not stuff me. So far the larger packet is holding me over quite well. My only gripe about this kind of oatmeal is the amount of sugar (11 g). It is still less than the Kashi instant oatmeal I was eating, but maybe I'll opt for plain oatmeal next time.


Breakfast: Instant oatmeal with 2 tbsp of peanut butter and a nectarine.


Mock-late?

I was watching the news this morning while elliptical-ing away at the gym, and a story came on about how Herhsey's has replaced the cocoa butter in some of their chocolate products with vegetable oil, and because of FDA regulations, they can no longer be legally labeled "milk chocolate."

Some of the Hershey's packages, while basically looking the same, have changed their labels to say "Chocolate Candy," instead of "Milk Chocolate" to comply with this regulation. I would have never noticed if I hadn't seen this news segment.

From the Candy Blog:

"The new version is called Chocolate Candy which is code for chocolate-flavored confection, or candy that contains chocolate but can’t be called chocolate because it has other stuff in it that’s not permitted by the FDA definitions (like more oil than actual chocolate).

The ingredients: Sugar, vegetable oil (palm, shea, sunflower and/or safflower oil), chocolate, nonfat milk, whey, cocoa butter, milk fat, gum arabic, soy lecithin, artificial colors (red 40, yellow 5, blue 2, blue 1, yellow 6), corn syrup, resinous glaze, salt, carnauba wax, pgpr and vanillin.

The old ingredients were:

Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat, lactose, soy lecithin, PGPR & artificial flavors), sugar, red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1 & carnauba wax."

The switch to vegetable oil is rooted in Hershey's desire to cut costs. The CandyBlog discusses this in more detail: Rising Cost of Candy - A Brief Study of Hershey's Prices.

I don't eat Hershey's chocolate all that much, but I'm still surprised and even feeling a little cheated by this change. What do you think about it?

Big Day Tomorrow

It's a big day for me tomorrow-- it's my first real shift at Healthworks. (I only worked for an hour last Wednesday night-- we covered the basics: paperwork, uniform, safety, etc.) I'll be working with the Assistant Fitness Director tomorrow, learning the ropes and getting my feet wet in my new Fitness Specialist position. 

Immediately after my shift, I'm off to a Red Sox game, and then to my sister's engagement party after that. I've got a packed, but fantastic day ahead! 

Dinner tonight was a repeat of last night's chili + wine. Amy's chili was wonderful again tonight-- I highly recommend it! It's great for an easy and quick meal... and if needed, it can stay in your kitchen cabinets for months! :)

On the side, I had a plate of carrots, grape tomatoes, and Kashi crackers. 

We finally went food shopping tonight! (Wahoo!) We stumbled across a bottle of my new favorite wine: Robert Mondavi Chardonnay. (I fell in love with this wine at the Hancock Tavern last week.) I'm currently enjoying a glass right now! :)

Lunch

Sorry no lunch post today. I went to lunch at the Savant Project with 4 of my coworkers-- a couple of which do not know about my blog and future plans. So, I'm sure you guys understand why I didn't want to take photos of my lunch, explain everything, and then have my coworkers find out about me leaving in the semi-near future. It's just not quite the time for me to tell my office. 

At the Savant Project, I ordered the Roasted Portobello Pita Sandwich with Spanish chimichurri sauce, tomatoes, and melted parmesan cheese with fries on the side. The sandwich was fab and super filling. The portobello caps were nice and big and roasted to perfection, and there was a thick layer of melted parmesan on the pita. I heart cheese! Again, sorry no photo. 

I did capture a photo of my afternoon snack. Here's my orange mid-peel...

My big day starts bright and early tomorrow (8:00 am) and lasts into the evening. I'll need to be clever with my planning, especially my bag for the day. Multiple events = multiple outfits! 

P.S. Forgot to add: I'm baking Shape's (September 2008) Cocoa Brownies! I heard they were delicious. I'll let you guys know! :)

Canned and Frozen Foods

As you can see, our food situation is bleak....

(Our kitchen cupboards look pathetically similar.) 

Despite coming from a can, dinner was rather awesome tonight. We purchased a can of Amy's Organic Chili months ago, but never got around to eating it. (I actually forgot we even had it.) Tonight, it was finally put to good use! I portioned-out about half of the can (1 cup), added my own hot sauce, heated in the microwave, and then topped with shredded cheddar. I was surprisingly wowed by this meal! I love when meals unexpectedly come together. 

On the side, I had some Kashi TLC crackers (Fire Roasted Vegetable flavor), which I used to scoop up the chili. 

With zero options for dessert, I decided to defrost a piece of our leftover wedding cake. (Not the top layer, but leftovers from the reception.) The cake is a zesty lemon flavor with strawberry filling and covered in a creamy, buttery frosting. It was almost as delicious as our wedding day! :)

It is most definitely bedtime for me! I spent almost 2 hours reading, studying, and making flashcards tonight. I haven't been a student in years, and my brain needs to seriously step it up! 

Leftovers Atop Salad

Last night's Thai Chicken Noodles + homemade salad = wicked yummy and healthy lunch!


This was my type of salad-- not at all boring! In the mix: romaine, tomatoes, jalapeños, black beans, bok choy, lemon-ginger chicken, and whole wheat noodles. I ate every last bite!


I followed-up lunch with a sweet snack made with Annie's Honey Bunnies cereal, raisins, and peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Approximate measurements:

• 1/3 cup Annie's cereal
• 1 tbsp peanut butter and chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp raisins
  

My lunch kept me feeling full all afternoon. Around 3:00, I was only a tad hungry for a snack, so I decided to take advantage of my Starbucks $2 afternoon beverage. I enjoyed an iced soy latte (straight up, no sugar) at Starbucks while doing a little studying (big announcement about this next week).


Let the countdown to the weekend begin!!!!!

2 Inches Versus 2 Inches

So, I decided against bangs. Thanks for all of your opinions, but, despite being cute and stylish, bangs are a pain in the butt to grow out (if you don't like them or don't want them anymore). I remember growing out them out the last time I had them, and it took for-ever!

Anyway, my hair is a tad shorter than I had originally wanted it. Actually, it's quite a bit shorter, but I think I will eventually get used to it. There was some "miscommunication" between my hairdresser and me. I asked him to "trim-up" my hair, so when he asked, "about 2 inches?," I thought he meant 2 inches, not 4 inches! Oh well. It's just hair. It'll grow back, right? My new cut does look a lot healthier!

Dinner was delish this evening! I found a recipe in the September issue of Health magazine for Zucchini Fries. The recipe was super quick and easy to make-- it's perfect for busy work/school nights.

Zucchini Fries
From Health magazine, September 2008

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut 2 zucchini into 3-inch sticks. Whisk an egg white in a small bowl, and add 1⁄4 cup milk. Combine 1⁄2 cup shredded Parmesan and 1⁄2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Dip zucchini sticks into egg mixture, and then roll in breadcrumb mixture. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, and place zucchini on sheet. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 32 fries.

I ended up with leftover Parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, so I decided to slice-up and coat a tomato as well. The tomato slices came out great too! I have a feeling that a variety of different veggies would work well with this recipe. I highly recommend it!

While I was covering and baking zucchini and tomato slices, Mal made ground turkey sliders (aka mini burgers). We ate them on Thomas Mini Square Whole Wheat Bagelbread with lettuce, tomato, and relish.

We finished up dinner by sharing a package of Godiva Chocoiste Caramel Bars in Dark Chocolate. Like all Godiva chocolate, these were to die for!!!

Mal and I have a hot date with last night's Hills episode! I love the drama! Night, all!

Fully Stocked

I love a full fridge. Lots of food = lots of fun options. 

We are having friends over for dinner tonight, so i decided to keep lunch on the light side. I wanted to try the Annie's Honey Bunnies cereal that we bought at the grocery store this morning, so I mixed 1/2 cup of the Honey Bunnies with 1 cup of Stonyfield plain yogurt, sliced watermelon and strawberries. 

I washed down lunch with 2 Ultimate Maltballs. 

My to do list is about half complete! I only have a couple of hours to finish it before our friends arrive. I better boogie! 

Kardea Nutrition Bars

The nice people at Kardea Nutrition asked me to sample and review a few of their nutrition bars. I'm happy to report that my first experience with the Chai Spice flavor was great!


The Chai Spice Kardea Bar had an amazing chai aroma, which hit me as soon as I opened the package. The flavor of the bar was equally wonderful-- nice and strong. My only (small) gripe about these bars was the consistency, which reminded me of a Power Bar-- soft, sticky, and chewy. I prefer a much more solid and dry bar like a Larabar, but these are definitely worth a try. If you like a bar with a taffy-like texture, you will LOVE these. The nutritional elements are pretty stellar too.

From the Kardea website:

• Plant Sterols-1 gram
• Total Fiber-7 grams with 5 grams Soluble Fiber
• Viscous Soluble Fiber- 3 grams --50% More Viscous Soluble Fiber than Heart Healthy Oatmeal
• Protein-7 grams with 3.5 grams Soy Protein
• Vegetarian-Friendly (Chai Spice & Banana Walnut Are Vegan)
• Kosher Certified
• Only 150 Calories/Bar
• No Trans Fats
• Lower Glycemic Formulation

Delicious selection:
- Banana Walnut
- Chai Spice
- Cranberry Almond
- Lemon Ginger

Last is Best

The best part about today's lunch: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.


The "main course" of my lunch was the other half of my Anna's veggie quesadilla. Of course, it tasted wonderful, but it wasn't nearly as delicious as the first half.


The veggies tasted great, but the wrap did not hold up well overnight-- the crispiness was lost, and it was sort of soggy and blah today.


Snack

I finally found Chobani Greek Yogurt!!! It's been all over blogland lately, but I haven't had a chance to try it until now. I was so excited when I saw it at Stop & Shop this past weekend! Stop & Shop has really stepped-it-up in the healthy foods department, and now they carry Chobani (as well as hemp milk). The Chobani is much richer and creamier than other Greek yogurts that I've tried. I'm a huge fan of the vanilla, which I topped it with high-fiber cereal this afternoon.


Sorry for another semi-brief post. It's been a hectic week! I'm headed to a surprise birthday party tonight, so I'm not sure what's up for dinner. I have a feeling we'll probably eat out. (I'm starting to feel broke from all of this eating out!) Happy Thursday! It's almost the long weekend!

Recycle, Reuse, Reduce

Good morning! I started off my day by doing something good for the environment. A reader recently left a comment on the blog that got me thinking about just how many plastic cups I waste feeding my iced coffee addiction... which, when I think about it, is a lot! I decided to purchase a travel mug from Starbucks this morning, so I can reduce the number of plastic cups I waste and reuse my travel mug when buying coffee. Of course, I bought the cutest travel mug Starbucks had! :) I ordered a sweetened iced coffee with soy milk, which I received free for purchasing a travel mug. The free drink is a little pat on the back for a good deed, right?


Breakfast in the office was the usual Kashi instant oatmeal + fiber cereal + banana + peanut butter.


My banana was very, very ripe today. It actually had a little trouble on its commute this morning, but somehow it made it to work and was a wonderful addition to my oatmeal.


Pre-Gym Snack

I never remember to take a photo or post about my pre-gym snack-- I'm just not thinking clearly at that hour of the morning. Usually, I will have a small snack (150-200 calories) before I head to the gym. I eat a snack for two reason: (1) it fuels me through my workout; (2) the thought of food usually gets me out of bed! :) Today's pre-gym snack was half of a cherry-flavored Yotta bar. It did a pretty good job holding me over, but by the end of class, my stomach was starting to growl.


Question of the Day

What's your favorite tip/trick for recycling, reusing, and reducing?

Another busy day ahead! Oh boy! Wish me luck! :)

Dinner on the Table

Dinner was practically on the table and ready to eat when I walked in the door after work this evening. My wonderful and amazing husband prepared the recipe that I planned to make for dinner tonight. He knew that I had a really busy day at work, so he decided to cook for me! Of course, I was super thankful and gave him a big hug as soon as I smelled something cooking. I felt so pampered sitting on the couch waiting for dinner to be served! :)

Tonight's dinner included a great big salad made with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, snap peas, scallions, and Claire's relish...

... and the most incredible meat loaf! Mal made Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf. Mal's meat loaf was nice and moist with lots of flavor. The roasted red peppers added a nice "kick" to it, and I loved the strong parmesan flavor! I'm usually not a big fan of meat loaf, but I chowed my piece. This recipe is a keeper!

Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf
From Real Simple, March 2008

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups mixed greens

Heat oven to 400° F.

Combine the turkey, onion, bread crumbs, egg, Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of the mustard, the parsley, red peppers, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Shape the meat into an 8-inch loaf and place in a baking dish. (See Tip, below.)

Bake until no trace of pink remains (internal temperature should be 165° F), about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Whisk together the remaining mustard, the vinegar, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

Divide the greens among individual plates and drizzle the vinaigrette over the top. Serve with the sliced meat loaf.

Tip: A loaf pan isn't the best choice for baking meat loaf. Instead use a large pan with 1 1/2- to 2-inch sides, such as a metal, glass, or ceramic 7-by-11-inch baking dish, which will allow the heat to circulate over the meat, cooking it evenly.

Yield: Makes 4 (enormous) servings! (We divided our loaf into 8 smaller servings, 305 calories/serving.)

NUTRITION PER SERVING:
CALORIES 610(50% from fat); FAT 34g (sat 6g); CHOLESTEROL 83mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21g; SODIUM 1089mg; PROTEIN 47g; FIBER 3g; SUGAR 3g

All together...


Dessert was a small bowl of fresh sliced peaches, topped with plain yogurt, and chocolate and peanut butter chips. So yum!


Barney Butter Love

Look at what came in the mail today! Jennifer at Barney Butter sent me one of their new t-shirts. How cute are they!?


The Barney Butter t-shirt is soft, light-weight, and fitted, and I love the long torso fit, which can be so flattering! The logo on the front says: "All Natural Barney Butter Almond Butter, Peanut Free, Premium California Almonds." On the back is the Barney Butter website ("www.barneybutter.com"). I really love this shirt-- it's totally something I would buy myself! Thank you, Jennifer!


Afternoon Snacks

Two Lindt Lindor chocolate balls...


... and cantaloupe with Barney Butter drizzled on top. It sounds like a weird combo, but it was actually very tasty!


Almost time for BED! I want to watch a little of the DNC first! :)

Need Groceries

We desperately need to go grocery shopping again. It's amazing how quickly we go through food. I guess that's what happens when you live with a growing boy!

Lunch today ended up being a bunch of snacks and not really a meal. I started with Fage mixed with peach slices and half of a crumbled Blueberry Vanilla Granola Plank. All together, it filled me right up and satisfied my end-o-meal sugar craving.


Up close... lots of different textures and flavors. Love granola + yogurt!


On my lunch break, my coworker and I took a walk to Whole Foods to pick up some groceries for tomorrow's brunch. (I'm taking tomorrow off!) In addition to my groceries, I picked up a bottle of Hint in pomegranate-tangerine flavor, which tasted like fresh, pure water with just a tiny hint of pomegranate and tangerine. The Hint drinks are made only with natural flavors-- no sugar and no artificial sweeteners. It's the perfect beverage if you're on-the-go. Very refreshing.


Lunch was small, so almost immediately after returning from our trip to WF, I dug into my Larabar. It was Ginger Snap flavor, my fav!


I followed-up my Larabar with another piece of watermelon and a Pecan Caramel Cluster (sorry no photo... it just kind of happened!)


Lots going tonight! Not sure about dinner plans yet, but I know drinks at the Top of the Hub follow! Can't wait! :)